Facepaint and fashion divas
by Metrowolf
Summary: Gamzee is stuck in his first year of college. His roommate hates him, his teachers are boring, and he can't even get the good drugs without having to rely on his brother's ex girlfriend. In this mes of place he finds a good friend with the snobbish Eridan Ampora, and from there things barrel out of control. college AU swearing explicit material
1. Chapter 1

Gamzee took a long drag of his hooka and stared at the picture of Rarity that someone had taped above his bed. This is how most of his days ended. And began. And well, how they looked almost all day really. Sometimes he smoked the cheap crap he got offline, sometimes he got a hold of good drugs from his friends two rooms down. Meulin was pretty cool even though she and Gamzee's brother had broken up.

Due to a mishap in rooming, Gamzee ended up in the same dorms as the fashion students. He shared a room with a very orderly girl named Kanaya. Even her name was sophistication, and she was furious beyond belief to be in the same room as someone as sloppy as Gamzee. Kanaya tried to get the rooms switched, but nobody really cared about it and finally she gave up. She kept a can of febreeze by her bed and every morning sprayed it in his room. Not that he cared, he usually slept in a few hours after she got up. They had learned to live together, which is why he woke up every morning and fell asleep staring at a picture of a pretty white pony.

He too another drag, and immediately started to cough. The coal had been burning too long, and it was starting to taste more like smoke and less like dragon fruit. Maybe it was time to put the hooka up. Gamzee only had a few classes that were later in the day. His family had pressured him to go to school, paid for all his supplies and expenses and then stopped talking to him the second he moved out. They were supportive enough, but never there for him when he really needed it.

As he cleaned Gamzee heard a knock at the door. He pulled a black tee shirt on and walked into the main room. Kanaya always threw a fit when he answered the door for her girlfriend, Rose, without a shirt on.

"What's up my motherfuckin-" Gamzee said as he swung open the door.

"Kan you've got to help me-" The man in the doorway shouted at the same time. He blinked his violet eyes when he realized it was not in fact Kanaya at the door. "Oh shit sorry Gam."

"Eridan, whats up my best fishy friend!" Gamzee smiled lazily, throwing the door open. He liked Eridan much more than any of the other snobby fashion students. While he too was snobby, he would gossip with anyone, which included a stoned Gamzee during more than one of Kanaya's get togethers. And while Kanaya wouldn't touch the hooka with a ten foot pole, Gamzee felt like he had a chance at convincing Eridan to smoke with him.

"Again with the fuckin fish. Gam, I'm on the swim team, its not the same thing." Eridan sighed, and crossed his arms. However, he did not enter the dorm. "Is Kan not here? She was goin to help me with my project! It's due next week, I knew better than to trust that needle pushin diva. Tell her she's on the end of my peer when you see here next." Eridan shot off.

"Needle pushin, peers." Gamzee repeated slowly. "Got it."

Eridan rolled his eyes and tugged his scarf a little closer to his neck. "Look, I got things to do, I'll see you later Gam-"

"Hold on, you don't want my help? My help is the wicked of miracles the messiahs did bring upon the world. I can do this fashion biz, just show me what you have created my brother."

Eridan froze. He eyed Gamzee's long black pajama bottoms. The ones with the grey polka dots. Then he looked at the baggy tee shirt, the purple shoes and the left over grease face paint from last night. Sitting on top of everything was a black nest of tangles and kinks, because Gamzee never brushed his hair. "Sorry 'brother' but you wouldn't know fashion if it drowned you in a fish tank." Eridan sneered. Without another word he turned and marched down the hall.

"That wasn't a no." Gamzee called after him. "I'm free tonight if you want to stop by!"

Eridan flipped him off, but threw a glance over his shoulder as he opened the door to the stairwell. He was smiling.

Gamzee grinned as he shut the door and headed back to his room. There was nothing he liked better than making his friends smile. He tugged his shirt off again and threw it to the floor of his room. He learned that if he left a mess long enough eventually Kanaya would get pissed and just clean it for him. She was only empowering him, but she was too self righteous to figure it out.

Just as Gamzee sat on his bed the alarm went off. "No need to be making your merry noise." Gamzee soothed it as he hit the off button. "I'm up today."

The alarm was set to go off an hour before he even needed to leave for class. After some particularity wicked nights it really did take him that long to get up. Instead of hitting the snooze and rolling back over Gamzee stood up and stretched. He glanced around the floor, trying to pick out the least dirty article of clothing. It looked like Kanaya was going to have to clean up soon. He managed to find a relatively good smelling shirt, a pair of grey pants, and his best purple beanie. He laid them on the bed before heading for the bathroom.

Gamzee stared at his reflection. The face paint was starting to smear. He wore it most days, the kids in his classes knew him as the insane juggalo, but it made him feel right. That was simply how he was supposed to be, and who was he to ignore his calling? Gamzee stripped his clothes off and stepped into the tiny square shower that every dorm room had. He turned the water on full blast, shivering as it started out cold and gradually turned to a warmer temperature.

Slowly Gamzee scrubbed away any sins that had been clinging to his body. It took some rubbing with his loofah, but finally he no longer felt the sticky sensation that came with the face paint. Flattened by the water, his hair grouped at the skin between his shoulder blades. Gamzee pulled his fingers through his hair, pulling it away from the exposed flash. His hair was meant to be up, and that was how it was going to be.

After nearly an hour he turned the faucet off. Gamzee shook his head before opening the curtain, sending a spray of droplets across the tiles. The wet hair stood up in odd little angles, just the way he liked it. Gamzee stepped out, wrapping a towel around his waist. Another little thing he wouldn't do if his roommate had not been Kanaya.

It seemed like a good thing too, because he opened the door and found the very roommate standing in front of him.

"Well if it isn't my best fuckin-" Gamzee started.

"Oh hush with your sister nonsense." Kanaya snapped back at him. Gamzee stopped talking, and smile at her instead. Kanaya frowned. "Can't you take insults like everyone else and get angry at me? Its unsettling and natural how placid you are."

"I don't want to get up and upset anyone now." Gamzee protested weakly. "You and me are going to be two chill mother fuckers until next year and we can switch dorms, though I do hope you'll still be one of my good amigos."

"I would be an amiga- you know what? I'm not going to stay one of your horrid friends next semester. What I wanted to say is that your room is a mess, and no matter how much I spray it its not going to get better. You need to clean up that mess you purple eye'd giant." Kanaya frowned. She crossed her arms, drawing attention to her new black button up shirt. Which reminded Gamzee-

"Our friend Eridan wanted help with his sewing project." Gamzee informed her. He pushed past her and started to head for his room. "He said you were wonderful and-"

"He already texted me. Wonderful was nowhere in the things he typed about me." Kanaya huffed. Then she went into her room, shutting the door behind her.

Gamzee chuckled. Just trying to keep my best fucking friends happy with each other. He shut the door behind himself and glanced at the clock. He had ten minuets to get to class, and it took him twenty to put his face paint on. Oh well, he had never been on time to the class before, why start now?

"Gamzee, Gamzee wake up." A nervous voice whispered, lightly tugging on Gamzee's sleeves. Slowly the clown blinked and sat up, trying to remember why he had decided to sleep on something so hard. "You fell asleep during Professor Slick's lecture, and you were snoring." Tavros hissed.

"Ah." Said Gamzee, stretching his arms out.

"Question?" The professor shouted furiously at Gamzee. This was not the first time Gamzee drifted off during on of his lectures, and Slick had had enough.

"Nope." Gamzee smiled, before setting his head back n the desk. Slick started yelling something, but Gamzee was already asleep again. History was not one of his better subjects, but who cares about grades when your parents are only paying you to get out of the way? Fortunately Tavros took enough notes for the both of them, and it wasn't clear if he was going to fail or pass yet. Gamzee decided he was going to leave it up to the messiahs, and that was that.

"Slick is going to kill you one of these days." Tavros pointed out, stopping his wheelchair next to an empty table.

Gamzee swung his backpack down and took a seat across from his friend. "I ain't worried."

"No you don't understand!" Tavros continued. "I heard he's done jail time! You see those scars on his face? He got those by getting stabbed!" He shouted, throwing his hands in the air. Gamzee stared at him. "After he stabbed someone!"

"Alright brother I think you need to stop worrying over things out of your control. Life is a miracle, let it take care of things." Gamzee replied. He fished a faygo out of his bag and offered it to Tavros.

The small Hispanic boy shook his head. "Gamzee you need to take school a little more seriously. I can do the homework but I can't take your exams." He said, pulling more notes out of his bag.

Gamzee ignored him and cracked the can open. It fizzed at him, a little of the purple juice spilling down the side of the can. "See, look at this-"

"Miracle?" Tavros sighed. "yeah, I know it hisses, how crazy?" He said in his best impression of Gamzee's voice. It was not a very good one. The rasp was hard to imitate.

"You fell asleep durin prof spades class again?" Eridan asked furiously as he joined the table.

Tavros immediately looked down at his lap. "Hi Eridan." he mumbled in a way of greeting.

"Commoner." Eridan nodded before turning back to Gamzee. "You can't keep doin that Gam, not only are his classes the best this pathetic excuse for a university has to offer, but Slick is one of the finest killin machines I've ever had the pleasure of meetin."

Gamzee raised an eyebrow at him. "So he has killed someone?"

"Well duh. Where do you think he got the scar?" Eridan asked, pointing at his left eye.

"I told you!" Tavros shouted.

"I think he just doesn't flow well with me, you know?" Gamzee droned, leaning back in his chair. "I think I could come to enjoy America's military exploits if someone who liked me more was teachin it."

"And you think I like you more than Slick likes you?" Eridan raised a perfect eyebrow. Then he sighed, leaning back in his chair just like Gamzee was. "You're glubbin lucky I do then. Fine, I tutor you in the ways of the military when I have time, but only after my fashion project is done."

Tavros looked like he was going to protest, until he saw the large smile on Gamzee's face. Instead he changed the subject. "So, are we going to get something to eat, or are we going to sit around all day?"

"Aren't you goin to do both?" Eridan sneered. Then he stood up. "I'm not eatin with you two anyways, I'm going to catch up with Fef for sushi. I will see you grub suckers later." With that he walked away, his books folded under his arms in a dignified fashion.

"Charmer." Tavros muttered as soon as he was out of earshot. "Grub sucker? Where does he even get his insults?"

Gamzee just laughed. It had been a while since he had been on a date, but he wasn't worried. It was just a study date, not like anything was going to happen.


	2. Chapter 2

Eridan stood outside of Gamzee's dorm, his old history text book in one hand and a bag with his sewing project in the other. For a brief moment he considered turning around and walking back to his room two floors down. Then the moment passed. Gamzee and Kanaya were two of his best friends, which said a lot about his personal life. His two best friends were a juggalo in a perpetually high state, and a person who was only here on scholarship. He shuddered, but finally set the bag down to knock on the door.

After a moment Kanaya opened the door. Her jade eyes narrowed at the sight of him. "Eridan?" She questioned in her motherly tone. "I thought you weren't coming until later tonight. I've got Rose over now."

She opened the door slightly, and Eridan spotted the thin blonde making polite conversation with Gamzee. From the look on his face, Gamzee was not hearing a single word she said, but was nodding just as politely. Eridan rolled his eyes.

"Yeah I came early so I could give that sad excuse for a college student a bit of tutorin in the art of war fare." Eridan replied, pointing his empty hand at said college student.

Kanaya's face lit up. "You're going to get him out of the living quarters? Oh thank you!"

"Quarters?" Eridan asked as he followed her into the living room.

Rose looked up when he walked in. They had a long history of not getting along that started when they were both thirteen and Rose had blown up his laptop. She pulled her thin lips into a smile, making them appear smaller until they almost disappeared. "Eridan. How good it is to see you again. Still practicing 'science'?"

"No actually. Still trying to summon the elder gods?" Eridan quipped.

"When I'm successful you'll be the first to know." Rose smiled. "Because you will be dead."

Gamzee caused a distraction then by falling of the couch. He landed with a loud WHUMP and stared up at the rest of the people in the room like he couldn't believe what just happened. "So." He started, not even bothering to pick himself up. "Who wants to get their motherfucking learning on?"

"Come on Gam, let's go to your room where there are no wicked vixens watchin our every move." Eridan sighed, stepping around the couch to pick his friend up.

Gamzee smiled as he took Eridan's hand. "Sure thing my brother. Though I'm sure these ladies are anything but wicked."

Eridan marched him to his room. He had never been there before, but it wasn't very difficult to figure out which door was his. :o) Honk hOnk was painted in dripping purple paint on the room furthest down the hall. Gamzee was not getting the security deposit back, that was for shore.

The room was worse than the door, which Eridan hadn't thought possible until he saw it. The bed wasn't made, the floor was littered with dirty clothes and bike horns, and the walls were covered with posters for the Insane Clown posse. It almost hurt Eridan to step in the room, but he preferred it to the company of that Rose girl.

"Not wicked?" Eridan asked as he sat down on the bed. He drew his feet close to him so he wouldn't have to touch the floor anymore. Gamzee sat down across from him at the desk, sitting in the chair backwards so he could face his friend. "Has she been brain washin you? Do her eyes glow yellow or somefin? I have this theory that she's actually a blood suckin fiend but I haven't found any solid evidence yet."

Gamzee just laughed. "No, I have not had my think pan addled. They're both just fine to me. It's her brother Dave that I don't find myself likin so much."

This caught Eridan of guard. "Whoa, there's someone out there that the great soft guppy Gam doesn't like?"

Gamzee shrugged. "I find myself getting along just fine with everyone, but that deviant made fun of the faith. You can be yourself around me as long as I can be myself around you, and he has a problem with that."

"Cod knows you don't have a problem with bein yourself. When's the last time you cleaned in here?" Eridan asked disdainfully.

Gamzee glanced around. "Since I up and made this my place of residence. I guess."

"Good glub." Eridan sighed. He set the bag on the ground and pulled out his history book. "This is from last semester, but I doubt Slick changed the curriculum at all. He's not the slipperiest fish in the sea. Whats the last thing you mackerels studied?"

"Explicating poetry."

"In history Gam. I meant in history."

Gamzee laughed innocently, leaning back in his chair. "Oh, I don't motherfuckin know. Tavros takes all the notes in that class while I get my nap on. You feel me?"

"The only thing I feel is disgust in your lack of focus." Eridan sighed. He cracked open the book and searched for the chapter that Slick started with the semester before. "Does this look like somefin you've done before?"

They spent the next hour like that. Eridan did a quick review on what he found to be important while Gamzee sat at the desk. Occasionally he would write things down or ask questions, but mostly he just listened. Eridan found that he was actually paying attention to him, not just smiling and nodding like he did with Rose. It felt good to be payed attention to, even when he went on his rants about how the fall of Vicksburg was far more important than historians would lead you to believe.

Gamzee finished jotting down the notes about Vicksburg when he looked up suddenly. "Is this going to be on the final?" He asked.

"Well, no. But it's glubbin important! The only thing me and Slick ever argued about in class." Eridan replied passionately. It had been a while since he had been this riled. Sure Feferi listened to him, but as his best friend she had an obligation to. She tried, she really did, but Feferi just didn't understand him.

"Is it?" Gamzee smiled. "Well then, I'll do my best to keep it in the old noggin then."

Eridan paused, closing the book. He had had enough history for one day, and that was saying something. "Hey Gam, uh, thanks for listening I guess. I reely appreciate it." he mumbled.

"Hey, my ears are always open for any motherfucker that wants to talk. Can't be sure that I can help, but its nice to have a brother." Gamzee replied fluidly. Eridan smiled back at him and was about to say something else when there was a knock at the door.

"Eridan? Rose left did you want to work on our projects now?" Kanaya asked without opening the door, making her sound muffled and hollow.

"Er," Eridan said, grabbing his bag of supplies. "Yeah! We're done here."

To his surprise Gamzee followed him out to the living room. Kanaya looked less than pleased about it, but she didn't say anything. "Gam? The lesson is over-"

"I understand that Motherfucker, I wanted to continue to hang out with my best brother." Gamzee plopped down on his couch, his purple pants and black tee clashing badly with the green fabric. "I've always wanted to learn needle pushing."

"You mean sewin." Eridan sighed. "And reely? I could help you after I'm done with this shitty glubbin project." He took the half finished blouse from his plastic bag, along with a small pack of sharp needles, pins, and a spool of string. The professor that decided they had to do a fashion piece by hand was Satan in Eridan's book.

Kanaya produced a nearly finished skirt from her sewing basket and sat on the couch across the room. "Don't encourage him Eridan." She said calmly, already pinning on the next scrap of fabric. "He does not keep up with his projects, and will leave another mess for me to clean up. I would rather not step on a needle."

"Aww come on Kan, don't dampen the mood." Eridan frowned. He pulled out an extra needle, threaded it, and handed it to Gamzee. "Do you have any scraps?"

Kanaya glared at him for several moments before reaching back into her basket and pulling out a rectangle of blood red felt. Eridan took the fabric with surprise. Kanaya wouldn't be caught dead wearing something made of such a cheap fabric. Did she keep it to practice on? Eridan handed Gamzee the felt before returning to his own work.

The three of them worked in silence for a few minutes before Eridan let out a frustrated growl. "It's too glubbin quite!" He complained. Kanaya and Gamzee watched as he pulled out his ipod and dock, plugged both of them in and turned up the volume.

After a few minutes Gamzee was swaying to the music, which admittedly didn't make his sewing any worse, and Kanaya was putting on her own set of earplugs so she wouldn't have to listen to 'Eridan's awful choice of tunes.' Since Gamzee had no preference for music Eridan switched it to classical music so everyone would be happy.

Time passed quickly after they settled back into a routine. Kanaya added another patch to her skirt, and finished with it. As she folded up her piece she glanced over to Eridan, giving him critiques and pointers. Then she looked at Gamzee. He had folded the felt hamburger style and was stitching up the sides.

Eridan followed her gaze and saw what Gamzee was trying to make. "Hey." He said, setting down his shirt and reaching over. "Before you do the third side flip it inside out and stuff it."

"Stuff it?" Gamzee asked.

"Well, yeah. You're makin a pillow right?" Eridan asked with bewilderment.

"I was making a sock." Gamzee replied. Then he laughed and pulled the square inside out. "But a pillow is a motherfuckin great idea too! Do you have any stuffing?"

Eridan looked up at Kanaya. He expression was clear. 'I didn't bring any stuffin I'm makin a god damn shirt.' Kanaya glared back a him. 'no I will not give this insufferable oaf any of my spare stuffing. I told you not to encourage him.' Eridan frowned. 'Don't be a beach! It's just this one time!' Finally Kanaya sighed and got up. She headed to her room to get the fluff while Gamzee stared at Eridan in a baffled manner.

"What? You never have silent conversations?" Eridan shrugged. "She said she'll get stuffin, and that's glubbin good enough."

"Miracles." Gamzee shrugged, in a way of explaining it to himself. A moment later Kanaya reappeared, holding an open and nearly empty plastic bag of fluff. She tossed it at Gamzee and walked back into her room.

"Aright, let me show you-" Eridan said, taking the unfinished scrap from Gamzee. He showed him how to reverse it so the ugly seams were inside and invisible. Then he poked some of the fluff in and handed it back so Gamzee could finish it. He had to take it back several more times before they were done, but finally they had made a somewhat decent three by five inch pillow. Gamzee had even stitched a design in the side. It looked like a circle with spikes on top.

"What's that?" Eridan asked, pointing at it.

"It's my best motherfuckin friend, Karkat." Gamzee smiled. "See the hair."

Eridan burst into laughter. "That looks nothin like Karkat!"

"I see it, and so will he." Gamzee shrugged. Then he held the pillow above him. "I made this with my own hands. Isn't that miraculous?"

"Shore is." Eridan agreed. He stared at the curves of Gamzee's mouth, the way they twitched when he smiled. And suddenly he realized that he wanted to see that smile more.

"Do you want to do this again?" Eridan asked before he could stop himself.

Gamzee put the pillow back down. "Why not my best of brothers?"

"No no." Eridan shook his head. His face felt a little hot, oh god was he blushing? Eridan Ampora does not blush! The girls practically fall at his feet! "I meant like, a date."

"A study date?" Gamzee was confused now.

Eridan really was blushing now. Oh cod, this is stupid. "Yeah a s-study date. I have to go."

He angrily shoved his still unfinished blouse into the bag, and went to grab at the box of needles. One of the silver pins escaped the lose cap and fell out, pricking Eridan's finger before falling to the floor. Eridan let out a yelp of pain and shook his hand. This was not his night.

"Hey Motherfucker, calm down. Take a deep breath." Gamzee said, taking the injured hand in his. He kissed the small pin prick and Eridan instantly felt conflicting emotions. Those lips could be kissing other choice parts of his body, and that paint cannot be good to be putting on open wounds.

Eridan pulled his hand back. "Yeah. Yeah ok. See you again soon?" He nervously shouldered his bag. Some smooth operator he was.

"It's a date." Gamzee grinned.

After a moment Eridan grinned back. So it was going to be a date. He could deal with that.


	3. Chapter 3

Gamzee held a shirt up to the mirror. He didn't remember where it had come from or when he had gotten it, but he was glad for it now. Gamzee was not one for dressing nicely, if it was comfortable he wore it. however Eridan had a taste for high fashion and for some stupid reason Gamzee wanted him to know he cared. The shirt was a deep purple button up, the sleeves cutting short just past his elbows. It looked like the type of shirt you were supposed to tuck in, but Gamzee had never tucked a shirt in before and as much as he wanted Eridan to be happy he wasn't about to start now. No, wearing the shirt was going to be enough. Gamzee pulled on a pair of black slacks and buttoned up his shirt. He tugged on a pair of purple converses and walked toward the bathroom to put his make up.

Gamzee started at the mirror, for the first time in years actually looking at his reflection. Appearance had never mattered to him before. He had always been a person who was comfortable with who he was, and thought his outside reflected his inside perfectly. Sure he had seen his reflection tons of times, but he never actually looked. Judged his own appearance. Wondered if he were good enough. His nose was long and hooked. His lips were thin and pale. His hair was untreatable, just beyond saving. Gamzee ran through his hand through his raven hair, and it caught twice. Many a brush had lost their lives trying to fight his locks into submission.

"You are dressed up." Kanaya announced as she stepped into the bathroom behind him. She had a short red dress on, her own hair done up elegantly. She was studying him coldly with her familiar jade eyes, unable to believe what she was seeing. "Why are you dressed up?"

"I am taking myself on a mother fuckin date with a pleasant brother who asked me to go out with him." Gamzee replied. He reached for his face paint.

It took Kanaya several moments to recover from the shock. She sat down on the edge of the bath tube, her eyes wide. She slowly reached up and pinched her cheek. "I am dreaming. I must be dreaming."

By time she spoke Gamzee had painted half of his face white. "No, you are not currently kicking it with the realm of dreams. Did you need to have your space? I could vacate the white room once I finish with this." He said, looking at her from the corner of his eyes.

"You look preposterous with the face paint and that formal clothing on." Was Kanaya's reply. Then she looked at him again. "Well, somewhat formal. More so than your usual attire at least, and that's as generous as I can be."

Gamzee chuckled as he set down the white paint. He picked up a small container of dark grease paint, another sponge, and twisted the lid off. "A compliment is a compliment." He smeared the paint over his eyes and lips, before dabbing two small triangles on his cheeks.

Finally Kanaya stood up. "I was just going to put some make up on for class tonight, so I'd appreciate it very much if you left when you were done with your... make up application dear 'motherfucker'." She said.

Gamzee nodded and set down his face paint. He was done anyway.

Before he could leave she asked one more question. "Tell me, who is desperate enough to want to spend the evening in your company?"

"I don't think our good brother Eridan is desprate." Gamzee replied without thinking. He grabbed a hair tie off the counter and walked out of the bathroom before Kanaya could say anything else despairing about Eridan. Kanaya slammed the door behind him. He never understood why she needed to close the door to put on her make up. He usually didn't close the door for any reason, but make up was nothing terrible. He shrugged, looking at the hair tie he had grabbed. Gamzee didn't even think his hair was long enough, but he matted his hair together in his hands and forced the band around it.

Gamzee stepped into his room just in time to hear a beep which meant he had missed a message from a friend on the computer. He fell backwards onto his chair, which was right by the door, and scooted backwards to his desk. Nobody fully appreciated just how fun rolly chairs were, which was quite the damn shame.

He opened up his trollian application and saw a blinking red light next to the letters CG. Gamzee clicked the link.

carcinoGeneticist began trolling terminallyCapricious

CG: HEY MORON YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO MEET ME FOR LUNCH TODAY.

CG: REMEMBER?

CG: YEAH WELL I HAD A GREAT TIME AT THE CASA DE SHIT WITHOUT YOU, EATING SOGGY YEAST ROLLS AND BRAIN MELTING FUCKING MEAT LOAF

CG: I GUESS THIS IS MY FAULT FOR EXPECTING ANYTHING OUT OF YOU

CG: LIKE REMBERING TO MEET YOUR BEST FUCKING FRIEND

CG: IF THERE IS A GOD HE WOULD BE LAUGHING AT ME RIGHT NOW FOR EVEN BEING A SLIGHT BIT DISSAPOINTED

CG: SPEAKING OF DISAPOINTMENT, SOLLUX IS BEGGING ME TO GO TO CLASS WITH HIM

CG: SO I'LL PROBABLY TALK TO YOU LATER

CG: OR NOT IF I'M LUCKY

carcinoGeneticist ceased trolling terminallyCapricious

Gamzee stared at the screen. His mind had been so consumed with meeting Eridan that night that he had forgotten to meet up with his friend Karkat for lunch. He let out a small huff, he would have to placate his friend eventually. Gamzee had always been a vacant person, but he rarely missed the chance to listen to Karkat complain about anything and everything.

A soft ding emanated from the computer then, signaling a second message. Gamzee scanned the list of friends for the blinking light, and spotted it next to Eridan's screen name.

caligulasAquarium began trolling terminallyCapricious

CA: hey Gam I'm leavvin the apartment noww, I'll be there in ten

TC: :o)

TC: SoUnDs LiKe A pLaN

caligulasAquarium ceased trolling terminallyCapricious

He had only just started to ask where they were going when Eridan logged back off. Gamzee tilted his head slightly. Eridan had been more literal than he thought. He pushed away from the desk, grabbed his phone and headed out of the room.

Kanaya sat on the couch, reading a magazine. She looked up when he walked into the room and immediately set the copy of People down. "Gamzee I really don't think you should date Eridan."

Gamzee stared at her. The two of them had a silent agreement. Kanaya would complain about his habits but never actually do anything to stop him, and Gamzee would smile and take it and pretend everything was sunshine and rainbows between them.

"I try to stay out of your various affairs Gamzee," she continued, and it was obvious she was just thinking the same thing he was. "but you're affairs now involve another friend of mine, one I do not wish to lose to your toxic nature. Gamzee he has a future that you are not going to ruin for him."

"No. I'm not." Gamzee agreed. He quickly turned and marched out of the dorm before she could see his face. He walked down the hallway, his hands in his pockets to keep them from shaking. Something was bubbling inside of him, something was frothing beneath his cool demeanor waiting for its chance to consume him.

Hatred. A cold and black hatred. It had been there the whole time, to deny it would be foolish. He disliked the woman he had been roomed with, the woman who tried to often to tell him what to do. Gamzee took a deep breath. It was unlike him to lose his cool, something that had only happened once before. He had lost his temper after Dave teased his religion too much, and at the end of it he had hurt two friends who had never done anything to him before. Gamzee kicked open the door to the stairwell and marched outside.

He stood at the curb for several minuets, staring up at the darkening sky. His whole body quivered as he struggled for control of himself. He was not going to lose his temper. Never again. He was just glad that Kanaya had had the sense to stay in the dorm instead of following him. He laughed lightly. All of this because he had liked the damn my little pony poster above his bed.

A door slammed somewhere to his left making him jump. "Gam you dressed up." Eridan sounded surprised as he walked up to Gamzee. He shoved his car keys into his pocket and stared at his date. Gamzee stared right back. His blond hair was slicked back in its normal fashion, the purple streak curling forward across his forehead. He was wearing a violet and gold plaid shirt, and a pair of blue jeans. His shoes were violet converses, and his scarf was of the same hue. "Wow, I am very impressed by that."

"Thanks." Gamzee said slowly, still trying to forget what Kanaya had said.

"Talk about your glubbin miracles, right?" Eridan chuckled at his own joke. Then he noticed how tense Gamzee was. "Is something wrong?"

Gamzee shrugged, trying to get himself to relax. Relaxing was his thing, he shouldn't have to think about it like this. "Nothing has my nerves up and bothered friend. Ready to go and get our eat on?" Gamzee asked with a forced smile.

Fortunately Eridan bought it. He grinned right back and marched over to his silver civic. "Oh you're going to love this place, its the best eatin establishment I've been to in the past few months. It blows every where else out of the water." He bubbled as he pulled the car door open. "Me and Fef go here all the tine!"

Gamzee stared at the door for a moment too long, and instantly Eridan jumped back. "Oh sorry, I'm just so used to hangin with Fef." He muttered.

"Its chill." Gamzee said, sitting in the car. He had heard the tragic tale that was Eridan's and Feferi's love life, or lack there of. The two of them had been best friends since the beginning of time, but Eridan had always wanted more. He worked up the courage to ask her out after years of platonic friendship, but she shot him down like captain Ishmael after Moby Dick. Eridan still loved her, probably always would, but he had learned to live life as her friend.

Eridan chatted amicably the entire way to the restaurant. Gamzee listened quietly about how much Vriska was a bitch and was out to get Eridan. About what a smug little shit Sollux was. About all of the work he needed to do for all of his various classes. He listened intently, rarely adding comments. That was the beautiful thing about Eridan he supposed, the man was self sufficient when it came to conversing. He smiled lightly as he remembered the first time they met at one of Kanaya's parties. Gamzee had been stoned out of his mind but he vaguely recalled a shockingly violet boy who talked to him the whole night. The next morning Eridan came up and apologized for spilling his life's story. Gamzee accepted the apology and after several awkward minutes asked for Eridan's name.

And now they were on a date, but everything still felt the same as the day they met. Gamzee wondered briefly if Eridan actually liked him, or just enjoyed his company. Both seemed equally likely, since Eridan picked his love interests by the highest of standards. Gamzee couldn't help but chuckle. He was always high, maybe he could pass Eridan's tests with a silly pun and some luck.

"What is it Gam?" Eridan asked, looking over at him. They pulled into the parking lot of a nice Japanese restaurant that Gamzee had never been to before. He supposed Eridan was a regular though, since his favorite food was sushi and all.

"Nothing much mother fucker." Gamzee shrugged. "Let's just have a wicked time."


End file.
